Reduced-dimension microelectronic component assemblies with wire bonds and methods of making same

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure suggests various microelectronic component assembly designs and methods for manufacturing microelectronic component assemblies. In one particular implementation, a microelectronic component assembly includes a microelectronic component mounted to a substrate. The substrate carries a plurality of bond pads at a location substantially coplanar with a terminal surface of the microelectronic component. This enables a smaller package to be produced by moving the bond pads laterally inwardly toward the periphery of the microelectronic component.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/932,840 filed Sep. 1, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,095,122 issued Aug.22, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to microelectronic component assembliesand methods of manufacturing microelectronic component assemblies. Inparticular, aspects of the invention relate to microelectronic componentassemblies that include wire bonds. Certain embodiments of the inventionare advantageous for packaged microelectronic component assemblies.

BACKGROUND

Semiconductor chips or dies typically are manufactured from asemiconductor material such as silicon, germanium, or gallium/arsenide.An integrated circuit or other active feature(s) is incorporated in thedie adjacent one surface, often referred to as the “active surface,” ofthe die. The active surface typically also includes input and outputterminals to facilitate electrical connection of the die with anothermicroelectronic component.

Since semiconductor dies can be degraded by exposure to moisture andother chemical attack, most dies are encapsulated in a package thatprotects the dies from the surrounding environment. The packagestypically include leads or other connection points that allow theencapsulated die to be electrically coupled to another electroniccomponent, e.g., a printed circuit board. One common package designincludes a semiconductor die attached to a small circuit board, e.g.,via a die attach adhesive. Some or all of the terminals of thesemiconductor die then may be connected electrically to a first set ofcontacts of the board, e.g., by wire bonding. The connected board anddie may then be encapsulated in a mold compound to complete the packagedmicroelectronic component assembly. A second set of contacts carried onan outer surface of the board remain exposed; these exposed contacts areelectrically connected to the first contacts, allowing the features ofthe semiconductor die to be electrically accessed.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a conventional packaged microelectroniccomponent assembly 10. This microelectronic component assembly 10includes a semiconductor die 20 having a front surface 22, which bearsan array of terminals 24, and a back surface 26. This semiconductor die20 is mounted to a front side 42 of a circuit board 40, e.g., byattaching the back surface 26 of the die 20 to the circuit board frontside 42 with a die attach paste 35.

The microelectronic component assembly 10 also includes a plurality ofbond wires 50 that extend from individual terminals 24 of the die 20 tobond pads 44 arranged on the front side 42 of the board 40. Typically,these bond wires 50 are attached using wire-bonding machines that spoola length of wire through a capillary. As suggested in FIG. 1, thesecapillaries C feed a length of wire 50 through a narrow distal passage.Typically, a molten ball is formed at a protruding end of the wire 50and the capillary C pushes this molten ball against one of the bond pads44, thereby attaching the terminal end of the wire 50 to the board 40,as shown. Thereafter, the capillary C spools out a length of the wire50, presses the wire against one of the terminals 24 on the die 20, andbonds the wire to the terminal 24, e.g., by ultrasonic or thermosonicwelding.

The capillaries C commonly used in the field have precisely shaped endsto insure good bonding of the wire to the bond pads 44 of circuit boards40 and the terminals 24 of dies 20. Most capillaries C also taperoutwardly moving away from this tip. As shown in FIG. 1, the capillary Cwill thus have an appreciable width W that must fit between the bondwire 50 in the capillary C and the top corner of the die 20. This widthW will depend, in part, on the height H of the front surface 22 of thedie 20 from the front side 42 of the circuit board 40. For one commontype of semiconductor die, the height H is usually on the order of 100μm. In such circumstances, the distance D between the edge of the die 20and the bond pad 44 is over 0.2 mm, typically 0.5 mm or more, toaccommodate the width W of the capillary C without unduly risking damageto the die 20. Conventional designs such as those shown in FIG. 1 ofteninclude bond pads 44 on opposing sides of the die 20. Hence, the samespace D must be provided on both sides of the die 20, adding anadditional 0.4 millimeters or more, typically at least 1 millimeter, tothe lateral dimension of the final diced and packaged microelectroniccomponent.

Market pressures to reduce the size of electronic devices, e.g., mobiletelephones and hand-held computing devices, place a premium on the spaceor “real estate” available for mounting microelectronic components on aprinted circuit board or the like. Similar density pressures also impactmanufacturers of computers and other larger-scale electronic devices. Anextra half of a millimeter per package 10, for example, cansignificantly add to the dimensions of an array of packaged memorychips, for example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a conventional packagedmicroelectronic component assembly at one stage of manufacture.

FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of a substrate including a plurality ofmicroelectronic component assemblies in accordance with one embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of one of the microelectroniccomponent assemblies of FIG. 2 taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic isolation perspective view of a portion of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a schematic top view of a substrate including a plurality ofmicroelectronic component assemblies in accordance with anotherembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of one of the microelectroniccomponent assemblies of FIG. 5 taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a microelectroniccomponent assembly in accordance with an additional embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a microelectroniccomponent assembly in accordance with one more embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a packaged microelectroniccomponent assembly incorporating the microelectronic component assemblyof FIGS. 2-4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A. Overview

Various embodiments of the present invention provide variousmicroelectronic component assemblies and methods for formingmicroelectronic component assemblies. The terms “microelectroniccomponent” and “microelectronic component assembly” may encompass avariety of articles of manufacture, including, e.g., SIMM, DRAM,flash-memory, ASICs, processors, flip chips, ball grid array (BGA)chips, or any of a variety of other types of microelectronic devices orcomponents therefor.

One embodiment provides a microelectronic component assembly thatincludes a microelectronic component substrate having a mountingsurface. The microelectronic component is mounted to the mountingsurface. The microelectronic component has a terminal surface spacedoutwardly from the mounting surface, first and second terminals carriedadjacent the terminal surface, and a periphery including first andsecond sides. A first support is carried by the substrate adjacent thefirst side of the microelectronic component periphery and a secondsupport is carried by the substrate adjacent the second side of themicroelectronic component periphery. The second support is spaced fromthe first support. A first bond pad surface is supported by the firstsupport outwardly from the mounting surface and proximate themicroelectronic component terminal surface. A second bond pad surface issupported by the second support outwardly from the mounting surfaceproximate the microelectronic component terminal surface. A first bondwire electrically couples the first terminal to the first bond padsurface and a second bond wire electrically couples the second terminalto the second bond pad surface. In select embodiments, the first supportis spaced less than 0.2 millimeters, e.g., 0.05 millimeters or less,from the first side of the microelectronic component periphery.

Another embodiment of the invention provides a microelectronic componentsubstrate that includes a body, a first support, and a second support.The body carries a circuit and has a front surface. A portion of thefront surface defines a microelectronic component mounting surfacehaving a periphery and sized to support a microelectronic component. Thefirst support is carried by the body proximate a first side of themounting surface periphery. The first support supports a first bond padsurface at a position spaced outwardly from the mounting surface. Thefirst bond pad surface is electrically coupled to the circuit of thebody. The second support is carried by the body at a location spacedfrom the first contact support and proximate a second side of themounting surface periphery. The second contact support supports a secondbond pad surface at a position spaced outwardly from the mountingsurface. The second bond pad surface is electrically coupled to thecircuit of the body.

A method of assembling a microelectronic component assembly inaccordance with still another embodiment of the invention involvesjuxtaposing a confronting surface of a microelectronic component with amounting surface of a substrate, wherein the microelectronic componentis positioned between a first support carried by the substrate and asecond support carried by the substrate. The confronting surface of themicroelectronic component is attached to the mounting surface of thesubstrate, thus positioning a terminal surface of the microelectroniccomponent outwardly from the mounting surface. A first bond wire isattached to a first terminal that is carried by the microelectroniccomponent adjacent its terminal surface and to a first bond pad surfacecarried by the first support at a location proximate a plane of theterminal surface. A second bond wire is attached to a second terminalthat is carried by the microelectronic component adjacent its terminalsurface and to a second bond pad surface carried by the second supportat a location proximate the plane of the terminal surface.

For ease of understanding, the following discussion is subdivided intotwo areas of emphasis. The first section discusses microelectroniccomponent assemblies in accordance with selected embodiments of theinvention. The second section outlines methods in accordance with otherembodiments of the invention.

B. Microelectronic Component Assemblies Having Elevated Wire Bond Pads

FIGS. 2-8 schematically illustrate microelectronic component assembliesin accordance with selected embodiments of the invention. Thesemicroelectronic component assemblies also may be referred to herein assubassemblies, primarily because they are unlikely to be soldcommercially in this state and instead represent an intermediate stagein the manufacture of a commercial device, e.g., the packagedmicroelectronic component assembly 105 of FIG. 9.

FIGS. 2-4 show a microelectronic component subassembly 100 that includesa microelectronic component 120 and a substrate 140. The microelectroniccomponent 120 has a terminal surface 122 and a back surface 126. Theterminal surface 122 carries an array of terminals 124 that areelectrically connected to an integrated circuit 125. In the illustratedembodiment, the terminals 124 are arranged to extend along opposed,longitudinally extending sides of the microelectronic component 120. Theterminals need not be so arranged, though. For example, the terminals124 may be aligned along or adjacent a longitudinal midline of themicroelectronic component 120.

The microelectronic component 120 may comprise a single microelectroniccomponent or a subassembly of separate microelectronic components. Inthe embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-4, the microelectronic component 120 istypified as a single semiconductor die that includes an integratedcircuit 125 (shown schematically in FIGS. 3 and 4). In one particularimplementation, the microelectronic component 120 comprises a memoryelement, e.g., SIMM, DRAM, or flash memory. In other implementations,the microelectronic component 120 may comprise an ASIC or a processor,for example.

The substrate 140 may include circuitry 145 (shown schematically inFIGS. 3 and 4) and a front surface 142 that carries one or moremicroelectronic components 120. In the illustrated embodiment, aplurality of microelectronic components 120 are mounted in an array onthe substrate 140. The substrate front surface 142 includes amicroelectronic component mounting surface 144 for each microelectroniccomponent 120. This mounting surface 144 is sized to closely receive amicroelectronic component and may be thought of as having a periphery(shown in dashed lines in FIG. 2) with dimensions close to thedimensions of the microelectronic component 120 mounted thereon.

The substrate 140 also includes a plurality of supports 150 that extendoutwardly from adjacent areas of the front surface 142 of the substrate140. As shown in FIG. 3, these supports 150 may have a height h_(s)outwardly from the substrate mounting surface 144 that is about the sameas the height h_(m) of the terminal surface 122 of the microelectroniccomponent 120 from the mounting surface 144. This second height h_(m)may include the thickness of both the microelectronic component 120 andthe adhesive 135 used to attach the microelectronic component 120 to themounting surface 144. In one embodiment, the height h_(s) of eachsupport 150 is approximately the same as the height h_(m) of theadjacent microelectronic component terminal surface 122, both measuredoutwardly from the mounting surface 144. As a consequence, the upperends of each of the supports 150 may generally coincide with the plane P(FIG. 3) of the adjacent component terminal surface 122.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 2-4, each of the supports 150 comprises apillar that carries adjacent its outward end a bond pad 152 having abond pad surface. These pillars 150 are typified in the drawings asrectilinear, e.g., substantially square, in cross-section, but anysuitable cross-sectional shape could be used instead. As shownschematically in FIG. 4, the bond pads 152 carried by the supports 150may be electrically coupled to the circuit 145 of the substrate 140. Inone embodiment, the bond pads are formed using conventional wafer-levelmetal patterning techniques such as those used to create integratedcircuits and electrical terminals of semiconductor dies.

The supports 150 may be positioned proximate the component mountingsurface 144 of the substrate 140 in an array. The arrangement of thesupports 150 within the array will depend on the locations of theterminals 124 of the microelectronic components 120. In the embodimentsshown in FIGS. 2-4, the terminals 124 may be positioned in a pair ofrows that extend longitudinally adjacent opposite sides of themicroelectronic component periphery. The supports 150 are similarlyarranged in a pair of generally parallel, spaced-apart rows. One ofthese rows may extend longitudinally adjacent one side of themicroelectronic component 120 and the other row of supports 150 mayextend longitudinally along an opposite side of the microelectroniccomponent 120. As a consequence, each microelectronic component 120 ispositioned between parallel rows of pillars associated with thatcomponent's mounting surface 144.

The supports 150 are spaced a distance d from the adjacent side of themicroelectronic component periphery. As explained above, the distance Dbetween the circuit board contacts 44 and the die terminals 24 inconventional microelectronic component assemblies 10 is at least 0.2 mm,typically 0.5 mm or greater. This distance D is necessary to accommodatethe width W of the tip of the capillary C used to form the wire bond.Given the vertical proximity of the bond pad 152 and the componentterminal surface 122 in the design of FIGS. 2-4, the distance d need notbe large enough to accommodate the width W of the outwardly taperingportion of the capillary C. Hence, the distance d between the supports150 and the adjacent side of the microelectronic component 120 can beless than that typically achievable in the conventional design ofFIG. 1. In one embodiment, the distance d in FIGS. 3 and 4 is less than0.2 mm, e.g., about 0.05 mm or less.

The conventional design of FIG. 1 employing a distance D of about 0.2 mmwill add about 0.4 mm to the overall lateral dimension of themicroelectronic component assembly 10 from the outer edge of one circuitboard contact 44 to the outer edge of a contact 44 on the other side ofthe die 20. Embodiments of the invention may reduce this additionallateral width below 0.4 mm. For example, a distance d of about 0.05 mmor less will reduce the width of the microelectronic component assembly100 by at least about 0.3 mm when compared to the design of FIG. 1. Forexample, two times a distance D in FIG. 1 of about 0.2 mm is 0.4 mm,whereas two times a distance d in FIGS. 3 and 4 of about 0.05 mm is onlyabout 0.1 mm. Saving 0.3 mm in the width of each microelectroniccomponent can save valuable real estate in electronic devices. If asemiconductor wafer is used as the substrate, this may also allow moremicroelectronic component assemblies to be produced using a singlewafer.

Any of a variety of common microelectronic component substrate materialsmay be used to form the substrate 140. For example, the substrate maycomprise a semiconductor device. In FIG. 2, the substrate 140 istypified as a semiconductor wafer having a plurality of microelectroniccomponent mounting surfaces 144 arranged in an array, as noted above. Inthis embodiment, the supports 150 may be formed using photolithographicand etching techniques conventional in semiconductor wafer processing,for example. Briefly, this could involve depositing a photosensitivemask, selectively illuminating the mask, and selectively etching themask to leave an area of the mask on each of the bond pads 152. Aconventional chemical or plasma etch, e.g., an anisotropic chemicaletch, may be used to remove material from the exposed areas of thesubstrate until the supports 150 have the desired height h_(m) (FIG. 4).Thereafter, the photomask may be removed, leaving the illustratedstructure.

In other embodiments, the substrate 140 may be flexible or rigid andhave any desired configuration. For example, the substrate 140 may beformed of materials commonly used in microelectronic substrates such asceramic, silicon, glass, or combinations thereof. Alternatively, thesubstrate 140 may be formed from an organic material. For example, thesubstrate 140 may have a laminate structure such as that found in BTresin, FR-4, FR-5, ceramic, and polyimide printed circuit boards. In oneembodiment, the substrate 140 may be formed of a first ply or set ofplies that define a first thickness t (FIG. 3) and a second ply or setof plies that have a thickness equal to the height h_(s) of the supportpillars 150.

The substrate 140 may be attached to the microelectronic component 120by means of an adhesive 135. In the microelectronic component assembly100 of FIGS. 3 and 4, the back surface 126 of the microelectroniccomponent 120 is attached to the mounting surface 144 of the substrate140 with a conventional die attach paste, as the adhesive 135. Dieattach pastes are commercially available from a variety of sources andoften comprise a thermoplastic resin or a curable epoxy. In otherembodiments, the adhesive 135 may comprise a die attach tape, e.g., apolyimide film such as KAPTON, or any other suitable adhesive.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, bond wires 160 may be used toelectrically couple the terminals 124 of the microelectronic components120 with the bond pads 152 of the adjacent supports 150. FIGS. 2 and 3illustrate the microelectronic component assembly 100 at a stage ofmanufacture in which some of the bond wires 160 have been attached, butadditional bond wires would be attached when the microelectroniccomponent assembly 100 is completed. For example, the terminals 124 ofthe microelectronic component 120 in FIG. 3 can be connected to theadjacent bond pads 152 by additional bond wires (not shown).

FIGS. 5 and 6 schematically illustrate a microelectronic componentassembly 200 in accordance with an alternative embodiment of theinvention. Some elements of this design may be analogous to elements inthe embodiment of FIGS. 2-4 and like reference numbers are used in bothdrawings to indicate analogous structures.

The microelectronic component assembly 200 of FIGS. 5 and 6 comprises asubstrate 240 having a front surface 242 that includes a plurality ofmicroelectronic component mounting surfaces 244 arranged in an array.Each of the mounting surfaces 244 may be sized to receive amicroelectronic component 120, which may be substantially the same asthe microelectronic component 120 of FIGS. 2-4.

One difference between the microelectronic component assembly 200 ofFIGS. 5 and 6 and the microelectronic component assembly 100 of FIGS.2-4 lies in the nature of the supports. In FIGS. 2-4, the supports 150comprise a series of individual pillars, each of which may support asfew as one bond pad 152. In the design of FIGS. 5 and 6, however, eachof the supports 250 is sized to support two or more bond pads 252. Eachsupport 250 comprises an elongate member that extends along a length ofa side of the periphery of the microelectronic component 120. For eachmicroelectronic component 120 and its associated mounting surface 244,one support 250 extends along a length of one side of themicroelectronic component 120 or mounting surface 244 and anothersupport 250 extends along a length of another side of themicroelectronic component 120 or mounting surface 244. The substrate 240and its supports 250 may be formed of similar materials and usingsimilar techniques to those discussed above in connection with thesupport 140 of FIGS. 2-4.

In the illustrated embodiment, the two supports 250 associated with asingle microelectronic component 120 may be generally parallel to oneanother and extend along opposite sides of the microelectronic component120. In other embodiments, the first and second supports 250 may extendalong adjacent sides of the microelectronic component 120. Thesesupports 250 may be separate from and spaced from one another, or theymay be joined to form a more continuous structure. In one embodiment(not shown), a support 250 extends along each peripheral side of each ofthe microelectronic components 120, essentially bounding all four sidesof the mounting surface 244 for each microelectronic component 120. Inone particular implementation, these supports are joined to form aperipheral wall-like structure that completely encloses the mountingsurface 244.

FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of the invention. Again, aspectsof this design may be similar to aspects of the microelectroniccomponent assembly 100 of FIGS. 2-4 and like reference numbers are usedto identify analogous structures in both embodiments. Themicroelectronic component assembly 300 of FIG. 7 includes amicroelectronic component 120 mounted to a mounting surface (notseparately illustrated) of the substrate 340.

In FIGS. 2-6, the supports 150 and 250 may be formed integrally with,and be a part of, the substrate 140. The bond pads 152 carried by thesesupports 150 typically are formed of a different material than the bulkof the support 150. In FIG. 7, the support 350 and the bond pad surface352 are integrally formed. In particular, the support comprises a pillar350 of conductive material, e.g., a metal, carried on a contact 348 ofthe substrate. The entire pillar 350 may function as a bond pad and thebond wire (not shown) may be connected directly to the outer surface 352of the pillar 350. The contact 348 is coupled to the circuit 345 of thesubstrate 340, thereby connecting the bond wire to the circuit 345. Thepillars may be formed in a variety of ways, e.g., by applying a metallayer having the desired thickness and using conventional photomask andetch techniques to define the supports 350.

FIG. 8 schematically illustrates a microelectronic component assembly400 in still another embodiment of the invention. Like reference numbersare used in FIGS. 7 and 8 to indicate analogous structures. Onedifference between the microelectronic component assemblies 300 and 400lies in the structure of the supports 350 and 450. In contract to thesubstantially integrally formed support 350 of FIG. 7, the support 450of FIG. 8 comprises a number of separate conductive elements 354 stackedatop one another. In one design, these conductive elements 354 compriseso-called “stud bumps” formed by forming a molten ball at the end of abonding wire and pressing the bonding wire against a surface, much asdiscussed above. Instead of spooling out a length of wire and bondingthe opposite end to a microelectronic component terminal 124, the wireis cut off adjacent the now-squashed metal ball. (This technique offorming a stud bump is known in the art.) A series of these bumps may bestacked atop one another relatively quickly by the capillary C to builda support 450 of the desired height.

The outer surface of the outer conductive element 454 provides a bondpad surface 452 to which a bond wire may be bonded. This bond padsurface 452 may be substantially coplanar with the plane P of themicroelectronic component terminal surface 122. Achieving precisealignment of the bond pad surface 452 and the plane P is not necessary.In one embodiment, any difference in alignment between the bond padsurface and the plane P is no greater than the average thickness of twoconductive element 454, and preferably no greater than the averagethickness of one conductive element 454.

FIG. 9 schematically illustrates the microelectronic component assembly100 of FIGS. 2-4 incorporated in a packaged microelectronic component105. In addition to the microelectronic component assembly 100, thispackaged component 105 includes a dielectric matrix 170 that covers atleast the bond wires 160 and the bond pad surfaces (152 in FIGS. 3 and4) of the supports 150. In the illustrated embodiment, the dielectricmatrix 170 also covers and substantially encapsulates the front surface142 of the substrate 140 and the microelectronic component 120.

The dielectric matrix 170 may be formed of any material that willprovide suitable protection for the elements within the matrix 170. Itis anticipated that most conventional, commercially availablemicroelectronic packaging encapsulants may be useful as the dielectricmatrix 170. Such encapsulants typically comprise a dielectricthermosetting plastic that can be heated to flow under pressure into amold cavity of a transfer mold. In other embodiments, the dielectricmatrix 170 may comprise a more flowable dielectric resin that can beapplied by wicking under capillary action instead of delivered underpressure in a transfer mold.

C. Methods of Manufacturing Microelectronic Component Assemblies

As noted above, other embodiments of the invention provide methods ofmanufacturing microelectronic component assemblies. In the followingdiscussion, reference is made to the particular microelectroniccomponent assembly 100 shown in FIGS. 2-4. It should be understood,though, that reference to this particular microelectronic componentassembly is solely for purposes of illustration and that the methodoutlined below is not limited to any particular microelectroniccomponent assembly shown in the drawings or discussed in detail above.

One method of the invention includes juxtaposing the confronting surface126 of a microelectronic component 120 with a mounting surface 144 ofthe substrate 140. In so doing, the microelectronic component 120 ispositioned between two of the supports 150 carried by the substrate. Theconfronting surface 126 may be attached to the mounting surface 144 inany desired fashion, e.g., using a die attach paste 135 or a die attachtape.

When so mounted, the terminal surface 122 of the microelectroniccomponent 120 is spaced outwardly from the mounting surface 144. Theplane P of the terminal surface 122 is desirably proximate the locationof each of the bond pads 152 of the supports 150; in one embodiment, thesurfaces of the bond pads 152 are substantially coplanar with this planeP.

A bond wire 160 may be used to couple at least one of the terminals 124of the microelectronic component 120 to at least one of the bond pads152. In the illustrated embodiment, a separate bond wire couples each ofthe terminals 124 to a different one of the bond pads 152. To form themicroelectronic component package 105 of FIG. 9, the dielectric matrix170 may be applied to the microelectronic component assembly 100. If anumber of microelectronic component assemblies 100 are formed at thesame time (as illustrated in FIG. 2), the matrix 170 may be applied tothe front surface 142 of substrate 140 prior to dicing the substrate toproduce separate packages 105.

The above-detailed descriptions of embodiments of the invention are notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, theinvention are described above for illustrative purposes, variousequivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention,as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. For example,whereas steps are presented in a given order, alternative embodimentsmay perform steps in a different order. The various embodimentsdescribed herein can be combined to provide further embodiments. Ingeneral, the terms used in the following claims should not be construedto limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in thespecification, unless the above-detailed description explicitly definessuch terms.

1. A method of manufacturing a microelectronic component, the methodcomprising: providing a substrate having a circuit, a front surface, anda mounting surface at the front surface, the mounting surface includinga periphery sized to support a microelectronic component having a knownthickness to position a terminal surface of the microelectroniccomponent at a known height outwardly from the mounting surface; forminga first support at a first side of the mounting surface periphery, thefirst support having a first bond pad surface electrically coupled tothe circuit and spaced outwardly from the mounting surface a heightproximate to the known height; and forming a second support at alocation spaced apart from the first support and proximate to a secondside of the mounting surface periphery, the second support having asecond bond pad surface electrically coupled to the circuit spacedoutwardly from the mounting surface a height proximate to the knownheight.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein: forming a first supportcomprises forming the first bond pad surface approximately coplanar witha plane spaced outwardly from the terminal surface of themicroelectronic component; and forming a second support comprisesforming the second bond pad surface approximately coplanar with theplane.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein: forming a first supportcomprises forming the first bond pad surface spaced outwardly from themounting surface a first distance; and forming a second supportcomprises forming the second bond pad surface spaced outwardly from themounting surface a second distance that is approximately equal to thefirst distance.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein: forming a firstsupport comprises integrally forming the first bond pad surface with thefirst support; and forming a second support comprises integrally formingthe second bond pad surface with the second support.
 5. The method ofclaim 1 wherein: forming a first support comprises integrally formingthe first support with the substrate; and forming a second supportcomprises integrally forming the second support with the substrate. 6.The method of claim 1 wherein: forming a first support comprises formingthe first support spaced less than about 0.4 mm from the first side ofthe mounting surface periphery; and forming a second support comprisesforming the second support spaced less than about 0.4 mm from the secondside of the mounting surface periphery.
 7. The method of claim 1wherein: forming a first support comprises forming the first supportspaced no more than about 0.05 mm from the first side of the mountingsurface periphery; and forming a second support comprises forming thesecond support spaced no more than about 0.05 mm from the second side ofthe mounting surface periphery.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein:forming a first support comprises forming a first pillar; and forming asecond support comprises forming a second pillar.
 9. The method of claim1 wherein: forming a first support comprises forming a first supporthaving a generally rectilinear cross-sectional shape; and forming asecond support comprises forming a second support having a generallyrectilinear cross-sectional shape.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein:forming a first support comprises forming a first elongate memberextending along a length of the first side of the mounting surfaceperiphery; and forming a second support comprises forming a secondelongate member extending generally parallel to the first elongatemember along a length of the second side of the mounting surfaceperiphery.
 11. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate includes afirst terminal at the first side of the mounting surface periphery and asecond terminal at the second side of the mounting surface periphery,the first and second terminals being electrically coupled to thecircuit, and wherein: forming a first support comprises placing two ormore first stud bumps on the first terminal in a stacked configuration;and forming a second support comprises placing two or more second studbumps on the second terminal in a stacked configuration.
 12. The methodof claim 1 wherein forming the first support and the second supportcomprises using photolithographic and etching techniques to form thefirst support and the second support.
 13. A method of fabricating amicroelectronic component subassembly, the method comprising: depositinga photoactive layer onto the front side of a substrate having a frontside, a plurality of bond pads at the front side, integrated circuitryelectrically coupled to the bond-pads, and a mounting surface sized tosupport a microelectronic component with a terminal surface spaced apartfrom the front side by a first distance; patterning the photo-activelayer; and selectively developing the photo-active layer to form aplurality of supports on the front side of the substrate and alignedwith the bond pads, the individual supports having a bond pad surfacespaced outwardly from the front side of the substrate a second distanceapproximately equal to the first distance.
 14. The method of claim 13,further comprising: adhesively coupling the microelectronic component tothe mounting surface of the substrate; and electrically coupling themicroelectronic component to one or more bond pads carried by thesupports.
 15. The method of claim 13 wherein the mounting surfaceincluding a periphery, and wherein selectively developing thephoto-active layer to form a plurality of supports comprises forming thesupports spaced less than about 0.4 mm from the mounting surfaceperiphery.
 16. The method of claim 13 wherein the mounting surfaceincluding a periphery, and wherein selectively developing thephoto-active layer to form a plurality of supports comprises forming thesupports spaced no more than about 0.05 mm from the mounting surfaceperiphery.
 17. The method of claim 13 wherein selectively developing thephoto-active layer to form a plurality of supports comprises forming aplurality of supports having bond pad surfaces approximately coplanarwith a plane spaced outwardly from the terminal surface.
 18. The methodof claim 13 wherein the mounting surface includes a periphery, andwherein selectively developing the photo-active layer to form aplurality of supports comprises forming an elongate member extendingalong a length of a first side of the mounting surface periphery, andwherein the elongate member carries one or more corresponding bond pads.